Green Home Products: Save Money and the Environment at 2008 Housewares Show

At the 2008 International Housewares Show in Chicago, design for the green home was all the rage. Green home trends include products made from environmentally friendly materials and products that save energy. These green home products are popping up in every room, and in some surprising new ways.

The Handpresso espresso maker harnesses the power of human hands to make a cup of espresso. This little device contributes toward the green home trend by using alternative energy solutions. Handpresso contributes to a green home by having consumers generate the energy using a hand pump. They then simply add hot water and an espresso pod, push a button, and voila: hot espresso.

Lisa Weiss, a lifestyle consultant who works for the International Housewares Association, the group that hosts the show, and she says the green home is hot this year.

“Consumers, I think, are much more socially aware of the environment,” Weiss says, “and they’re making a conscious decision where they can to purchase products that are better for the environment, that may conserve energy and that might just be better in the long run for their homes.”

Another green home trend can be found in the use of bamboo. Bamboo is a sustainable resource that’s more environmentally friendly than other types of wood. Green home products at the International Housewares Show included bamboo cutting boards, bamboo bowls and spoons.

Aladdin also has green home products. The company has a new line of cups that are made from greener materials. The cups make your home greener because they use a resin without harmful chemicals. Companies are taking the idea of the green home all the way through the manufacturing process.

Ken Mitchell, a vice president at Aladdin, describes the company’s green home idea: “Part of being true to our message is also making sure that packaging is minimal too. The whole footprint around this, the energy footprint, we’re continuing to study that to make sure that’s as minimal as possible.”

And for a more literal interpretation of “green” home goods, check out KitchenAid’s new color for the classic stand mixer: pear.
KitchenAid representative Deb O’Connor says, “You know pear is nature. We look at different things like design and other industries, what the latest colors are, and pear seems to be everywhere.”

No matter which room in your home you’re redecorating, it’s likely you can find some green home products to add to the mix.